Prince William has talked about how fatherhood has affected his outlook towards conservation in a brand-new documentary! As Hello! shares, over the past couple of years William's environmental activism has been chronicled for the ITV special Prince William: A Planet For Us All, which sees the Duke of Cambridge travelling the globe while opening up about how both he and his children are connected to the world around them.
Prince William shares how becoming a father changed him
Prince William revealed that having children has caused his perspective on the world to shift quite a bit. "I think you realise a lot more when you become a father," he admits in the ITV documentary. "I was quite a happy-go-lucky young guy, enjoyed parties and then all of a sudden you go 'Well hang on a second, there's a little person here. I'm responsible for that person'. Now I've got George, Charlotte and now Louis, in my life. Your outlook does change."
The royal went on to share that he felt a heightened sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the environment once he started thinking about the next generation. "And that's why I had to do something, I had to get involved because I really felt that by the time my children were 20, you know 25, at the rate the poaching was at, there may not have been another rhino in the world," he continued. "And there probably wouldn’t have been many elephants left at all. It really was that urgent and that critical."
Prince William says his children's love of nature "inspires"
Prince William also shared that he hopes the younger generation— including his own kids— gives adults a renewed sense of purpose. "Seeing my children, seeing the passion in their eyes and the love for being outdoors… They find a bug or they love watching how bees are forming the honey," he shared. "George particularly, if he's not outdoors he's quite like a caged animal. He needs to get outside."
"It's important that their energy inspires the rest of us in positions that can do something, to do something. I certainly don't want them to worry and have to, to fix it all," William went on to say. "But we should be harnessing their energy and their passion for fixing this and helping them do that." Prince William has certainly played an active role in working towards this goal himself, also mentioning how his kids inspire him to further his family's history of conservation.
Prince William reveals that Duchess Kate can do the "floss"
William was also asked some questions about his family while he visited Liverpool by some curious schoolchildren, and he was happy to give them some answers! As Hello! shares, a girl named Daisy inquired if Princess Charlotte was cheekier than Prince George. "No they're about as cheeky as each other," he replied.
William was also asked by a girl named Poppy if Prince George had "learnt" him "the floss"— a popular viral dance— and his answer was surprising! "No, Charlotte can floss," says William. "She can already floss at four. Yeah, you don't want to see me floss. Catherine can floss but I can't. It's, it's like a really horrible film to watch me floss."
Candid words from the prince...
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"If we can provide the same motivation with the environment we have truly turned a corner," William declares at the end of the program. "We need to build back greener, because I think the younger generation will not stand for saying that it's not possible. It clearly is. As we've seen from COVID-19 the world can act when it needs to act. So why won't it?"
To hear Prince William further discuss the importance of conserving the environment for the future generation, check out Prince William: A Planet For Us All, which premieres on ITV Monday, October 5 at 9 PM!
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